Bishop Buddy Scrapbook 1937 (3)

Mission Celebrates 170th Birthday With Religious Rites, Games, Speeches S. D. Historical ··

Society Gathers On Presidio Hill By RUTH TAUNTON Thousands paid •tribute here yes- terday to a brave meme>ry. From early morning until late afternoon San Diegans stood on Presidio hill, or on the Old Mission site six miles up Mission valley, looked across the landscape and tried to imagine what it was that Junipero Serra saw when he found- ed this city 170 years ago. Cabrillo sailed into the bay in 1542. In 1602 Vizcaino gave San Di- ego its present name. Then nothing happened on these shores for over 150 years. The strange white men

Members of St. Mary's Players, who yesterday presented a pageant.:c,~~t~::ing th; · arrival here ~f pero Serra 170 years ago. It w3:s part of an all-day program at Old Mission in Mission valley.

PLANTING INCREASES "Faced with t~_e necessity of feed- ing Indian converts as well as teaching them the l11ws of the gentle Christ, the Fathers had to plan+ more and more acres of corn, wheat and vegetables. Once their difficul- ties were so very great that they thought their mission was failure, but God was bringing the dawn of a brighter day. The Franciscans left a chain of 21 missions along the King's highway from San Diego to Sonoma. The Fathers themselves I had to be judges of good land, be architects, engineers, hydraulic en- gineers, builders of dams, horticul- turists. brick layers and tile makers: as well as teachers and founders of a Christian democracy. "In 1775 there were signs of jealousy among the pagan Indians. A little past midnight, Nov. 4, about 800 came in from the ranches, ·set fire to the Mission and attacked its occupants with arrows, clubs and stones. Father Jayme, thinking a personal appeal would claim them, walked out to the crowd and pleaded, 'Love God, my children.' He was dragged to the river bed where arrows and clubs ended bis gentle life. No help arrived from the soldiers at the Presidio, and when the sun lighted up the valley, the Mission was a smouldering ruin. It was rebuilt, but the greedy among incoming Americans fixed their eyes upon the mission lands, seiz!:!d them in the first half of the 19th century, killed the Indians or drove them back into the mountains with their missionaries, some of whom died of starvation. "The story is an old one. The confusion today is caused mainly by greed. We must pray that 'we make the eternal possession of God our purpose of existence, and brotherly love the standard of our daily deeds, so that we may enjoy the peace and reign of Christ." Athletic events followed the pic- nic luncheon in the afternoon, the climax being the presentation by Bishop Buddy of awards to bo:vs and girls representing Catholic schools and organizations. The main award, a perpetual trophy, was accepted nom the bishop by Benjamin Lasher for Our Lady of Angels for excellence in track. St. 1 (Continued Oltl Page 6-B, Col. 2)

At Seri-a museum on Presidio hill, six miles down the valley from the Mission, corridors and visited historic shrines as guests of San Diego Historical society, for the place whereon thou standest handed dow~ from I~dian chiefs to iis holy ground.' We gratitude the memory of men who But far down in Mexico was a brought Christian civilization to Cbristian builder who did not, like this land. We say Christian because so many of his contemporaries, seek the conquest of California differs gold or power. He believed that from the conquest of many other ·his way of life was better than the places. standard being maintained by the THE IDEAL recall with each generation, nothing more. in their strange ships were a legend 1 · . .

visitors crowded the

"The Father Presidente of the Missions of California was born at Petra, an island in the Mediterran- ean. He early showed signs of rare mental endowment, a spirit of sac- rifice and high idealism. His gifts might have brought the highest hon- ors obtainable in his day and he. , might have lived and died in the full enjoyment of civilization's comforts. Instead, he volunteered to go into the unknown wilderness of Califor- nia. From old Mexico he set out on foot to plant the cross in northern ' Califorhia as the emblem of salva- tion, sacrifice and brotherly love. "And what a task he faced! The great scholar of the university faced the ignorant savage, whose method of articulation scarcely sounded human. He had to persuade the Indian that he meant no harm to him and came only to bring bless- ing, Needless to say, it took a con- stant reference to God and divine inspiration for the Fathers to sus- tain body and spirit. And God did hear their prayers.

Indians who were then the resi- dents of San Diego. He came not to rob and pass on, but to stay and tinge a community with western civilization. Father Serra arrived on July 1, 1769, and July 16 he founded a temporary cl;mrch on Presidio Hill; a permanent church which ti,ok years to build in Mission val- Jey. Both sites were scenes of cele- brations yesterday. About 3500 found their way to the Old Mission. Many remained all day. There was a capacity audience when pontifical high mass was sung by the Most Rev. Charles F. Buddy, D. D., bishop of the Catholic diocese of San Diego and successor of the Franciscan friar, Serra. His assis- tants included two Franciscans from . Santa Barbara, the Revs. Maynard , Geiger and Claude Riffle; and Old I Town's own Franciscan, the Rev. Edmund Austin. I In his sermon after mass, the Rt. Rev. Msgr. John M. Hegarty, vicar general of the diocese, said in part: " 'Put off thy shoes from thy feet,

"The conquest of the padres here strove not to destroy the Indian or deprive him of his lands, but to mak~ him secure in the possession of these lands and live comfortably by the fruits of the soil. The ideal had its first exemplification in Christ, Who labored to teach people the way to happiness here and hereafter and Who finally offered His liie to in- sure that happiness. His imitators have been .few and whenever we meet one of them, it is worthwhile to study His character and His work. "Serra's settlement on Presidio hill was brief because the hilltop offered neither sufficient fertile land nor water to maintain a self- supporting mission. It was turbu- lent because the Indians attacked the soldiers and fathers and the soldiers themselves hampered the work of the Franciscans; and fi~ nally the first Mission of San Diego was opened for use on this spot in 1774.